Responsibility of data stewards
Paradoxically, as Data Continuity Officer, you need to “transcribe” and “unencrypt” the “keys to the kingdom”.
Ten years ago, a friend of mine shared how he wrote a letter (with ink and paper) to his wife every year that outlined key information that she would need if wasn’t around:
- Bank accounts
- Insurance policies
- Wills
- Titles
- Passwords
My first thought was how morbid. I guess that was his wife’s reaction, as well.
However, looking at the list got me thinking:
- The list today is a lot longer than it was back then
- What about digital assets?
Essentials
Here’s a short list of items that I would want my wife to know when I’m gone:
Don’t get rid of my phone.
I have two-factor configured using that phone on most of my accounts, either using an authenticator app or using a SMS text. It would absolutely be critical to have in the future.
Don’t forget to share:
- Your unlock code
- Your cell phone account PIN
Keepass has all my secrets
Over the years, Keepass has become my goto for password management. I don’t install it…it’s just unzipped to a folder. I keep my password file in the same folder.
Unfortunately, looking at an unlocked password file is half the battle. I have hundreds of entries in there. Walking thru the folder layout would be a good idea.
Do they know?
- The location of the encrypted password database (whatever software is used)
- The master password to unlock that file
- Have you included in your password file security challenge questions and answers? Most websites have moved beyond mother’s maiden name.
Email and Online Presence
Including your gMail password is a no brainer in your password file. However, think of all those internet things that you take care of or is part of your online presence:
- Domain registrar (e.g. GoDaddy, Network Solutions, etc.)
- Social Media: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.
- Blogs
- Evernote, Notion, OneNote, etc.
Folders and Files
Where’s my stuff? Most people have a combination of the following:
- OneDrive, GoogleDrive
- My Documents, My Pictures (local user profile directory)
With multiple computers and increasing need for storage beyond what laptops can hold, users are using other storage solutions:
- External USB drives
- NAS Storage, such as Synology or QNAP
- Cloud storage (Aure or AWS)
What about Pictures and Videos?
One of the questions I feel that I need to document is where are all of the family pictures? Right now, I have 200K, using 2TB of data. While a lot of metadata is written to files as XMP, Lightroom database has more metadata. I have three children. Am I expecting each child to get a complete copy for themselves? We no longer live in a time when grabbing some photo albums is a solution.
If you keep your pictures on your phone, are those exportable? Would someone have access and know how to do it?
Licensed Media
Do you have a large investment of electronically owned songs & movies? If so, where all are those held? iTunes, Amazon, etc.
Digital Burn Box?
The proverbial burn box is something that when you are gone a friend was sworn to “burn” on your behalf. This could be for any number of reasons, such as:
- Intimate details (love letters, diary, etc.)
- Intellectual property
- Embarrassing memories
- Any number of reasons (not all legal, ethical, or moral)
Do you have similar digital assets? Do they need to go different people?
Plan for a Plan
This can be very overwhelming at first. It would take awhile for most people to just to consolidate, cleanup, & organize their digital assets. While doing so, remember you need to be able to share these when you are not around.
A yearly letter than can be physically secured in a safe or file cabinet is a great tool to transition your legacy. Every year, it can be expanded with extra detail. Commit to this yearly communication.
